The legacy of Esau

 The Legacy of Esau

Isaac loved Esau and Rebecca loved Jacob. We are too used to see only in Jacob God's chosen one. But Esau was as much chosen. They just took different roles. With only looking at Jacob, we remove from site half of the mystery of Gods People.  The heritage which Esau sold to Jacob was the promise of afterlife. And Jacob did inherit a piece of land in the Middle East, but what he bought from Esau was not necessarily that. Jacob became the priesthood. The suffering servant. Perhaps part because of the deception he deployed to acquire his birth right. Here in this painting by Gerrit-Willemszoon Horst (1612-1652) we see Jacob disguising himself as Esau. The priesthood disguised as Royalty. 

Esau moved on to more fruitful environments. Esau did keep in fact the right to Royalty. And he employed it on a global scale. Esau moved to an area south east of Israel, which was called Idomea. They became Edomites. There the descendents of Esau explored kingship in a special form. Elected Royals. After seven such kings the system developed into a form of Dukedom. As was later employed by Venice. The first republic..

Is it speculation to suggest that Edom kings converted to Dukedoms, around the time David was chosen king of Israel. Is also speculation to suspect that through Ruth, who married Boaz, coming from Moab, which is the north of Esau's area, David descended from Esau also. Hence the red hair. And when Royalty was established in Israel (against the very nature of Israel, because they should not have had kings) Edom stopped to have kings and developed into a republic. 

Esau and Jacob reconciled. But not all descendants of Esau followed suit. There was eternal jealousy and resentment in the descendents of Esau. What had really happened?

According to legend the very day Esau sold his birth right to Jacob, he had returned tired from hunting. But it was suggested that very day Esau had killed Nimrod and stolen his (royal) mantle and the clothing of Adam, which had been in posession of Cush. Cush and Canaan had stayed in the area of the middle East, causing a history long fight over this area. Noah had given an area of West Africa to Cush and Canaan, and had given the middle east to descendants of Sem.  In the first breach of 'international' law Cush and Canaan took the Middle East instead of their given domain.

Esau was tired, but also entirely satisfied. He had stolen the mantle of Nimrod. Herewith sealing God's promise of the land to the descendants of Abraham. Esau was to have the right of Royalty. And all kings of the earth are crowned in a large mantle reminding of this mantle of Nimrod. It was also symbolic of the battle between David and Goliath. Because Nimrod was a giant. No wonder Isaac preferred Esau. Jacob beliefs in promises after. Esau takes what is his.

Esau was to receive Isaac's blessing in this mantle. But let us go back to this day where Esau asked Jacob to make a strong potage for him to recover from his fatigue. For Esau he had reached his goal. What was there to be beyond that? Something 'after life'? There is no way he would have sold the very essence of what Esau acquired that day. Huh. Birth right? I have what I have through my very act of murdering Nimrod. There is nothing beyond that. Only later on when Jacob had taken Esau's mantle and received the blessing, Esau realized he had been cheated. Triggering his desire to kill Jacob for it. 

Esau moved on and developed other forms of Royalty. Based not on heritage through a fatherly line. And it is interesting that the principle of Royalty remained with Esau. A son of Eliphaz (son of Esau) named Zepho was to establish this principle of Royalty in Latinum, which would be the basis for the Emperors of Rome. Rome hence is rightly Esau. 

As Esau Rome still claims the birthright of Esau. And ironeously for that very reason claimed the priesthood in the form of the Roman Catholic Church. The right to remember Christ's death on its altars for all eternity.